At PETS this weekend, one of the consistent themes in the keynotes was providing value to your members, who are also your customers. I have firmly believed this for a long time. It is imperative that you demonstrate to your members who entrust you with their time, a very precious commodity, that they will receive in return an experience that makes the investment worth it. While every club meeting can’t be an over the top production or something extraordinary, you can make sure that your club meetings don’t fall into a repetitive rut of sameness and mundane routine.
And as a district leader, anytime you are asking Rotarians in your district to give up a weekend for a training event or conference, you need to make sure you don’t “mail it in” and follow a cookie cutter approach to the way the event has always been organized. Make sure that you include some special surprises or elements that folks will talk about after the event is over. If there are multiple sessions or segments, build anticipation and excitement. I made this a priority as our teams planned the All Star Conference, District Assembly and Rotary Serving Humanity Seminar.
Playing high energy music that makes people smile will ensure they are in a positive mood before your program begins. They will be attentively listening, receptive to the material, in turn allowing them to absorb what is being said so they can put the information to action after the event is over.
As I watched folks enter the grand ballroom for the general sessions this weekend, they were greeted with a variety of upbeat songs from across multiple generations and genres. It made me smile when I saw folks doing a little boogie next to their seats or while talking to friends. The energy in the room was infectious and the speakers did an incredible job taking advantage of the audience’s attention to deliver incredibly compelling presentations that will serve our clubs, our districts and our organization very well.
The PETS team is already compiling notes, analyzing feedback and brainstorming ways to make sure PETS 2019 raises the bar a little bit higher.